Chicago is not a subtle city.

F *rump. Agreed.

F yuppies. Indifferent.

F all you people who like to judge. Whoa. That’s me. I have a history of harsh internalized judgment toward myself and others, perhaps a little less so in recent years. This writing is a good reminder to go f myself when I judge.

I wonder about the personal attributes of this writer. Gender? Age? Ethnicity? Economic background? Criminal background? Years writing? Other mediums? Signed work? The location is a mixing pot: one block from Catholic Charities, two blocks from a methadone clinic, one block from major CTA stop, and near a pizza takeout with a bit of hang around activity at night that includes both staff and customers with colorful histories. The last line “all you people who like to judge” indicates separation and marginalization. Why was this person judged? Based on stereotype or action or both? Is this person judging yuppies or those who judge?

My mental image of the writer changes if *rump is replaced with Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago in 2021. The mental image becomes more youthful, urban, and in opposition to the local situation. The same is true if *rump is replaced with police. With *rump as the intro, the mental image of the writer seems over 30, more privileged, and not as gritty. These are examples of the questions I ask of myself and the stories I tell myself about the 99% of writers and artists that I never meet.

When taking this picture, I thought this might be from the author of paste ups that I have seen in the neighborhood for several years. After research, I now believe this is from a writer that I have not seen previously, delivering blunt commentary on national and hyper-personal topics. The tag is unsigned so uncredited.

I will be on the lookout for more work from this writer and to live a little bit less in the category of people who like to judge.